The world of Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding has seen a lot of activity these last few months. The first game premiered on PlayStation 4 in 2019. We recently learned a live-action movie adaptation from A24 and Kojima Productions is in the works. And, perhaps most importantly, a sequel to the game is on the horizon. Kojima announced it at The Game Awards in 2022. In its first State of Play for 2024, Sony revealed a new Death Stranding 2 trailer full of gameplay and story hints. We also learned the game’s full title, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and a little bit more about who will (and will not) appear in the game.
Death Stranding 2‘s Trailer and Synopsis
A number of wild and weird things happen in the trailer. It shows off new locations, the return of the villainous Higgs, and a talking puppet thing? The nine minutes of footage don’t make a ton of sense, but that’s on par for Death Stranding. It’s an odd world, true, but it’s a world many fans are anxious to return to.
Death Stranding 2‘s premise is as follows:
Embark on an inspiring mission of human connection beyond the UCA. Sam—with companions by his side—sets out on a new journey to save humanity from extinction. Join them as they traverse a world beset by otherworldly enemies, obstacles and a haunting question: should we have connected?
Mads Mikkelsen Will Not Return as Cliff in Death Stranding 2
One character we won’t be seeing again in Death Stranding is Mads Mikkelsen’s Cliff. In response to massive fan curiosity, Hideo Kojima shared on Twitter that neither Mads Mikkelsen nor Cliff would return for the sequel game.
Kojima explained, “If you have PLAYED DS1 to the end, you will understand. Cliff is a character who played a very important and special role in Death Stranding. Mads understood this and performed it beautifully. Mads’ Cliff will remain in the story of Death Stranding and in your memories forever. It is because we care about the character of Cliff that he will not appear in DS2. Please understand.”
We understand but don’t like it.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Cast and Release Date
But there is good news about Death Stranding 2: On the Beach‘s cast. The game will see Norman Reedus, Léa Seydoux, and Troy Baker return to Hideo Kojima’s universe. They will be joined by Elle Fanning, Shioli Kutsuna, and Academy Award-winning film director George Miller.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will arrive in 2025 on the PlayStation 5.
Originally published on January 31, 2024.